Your Hospital Bag: What You Need, Want, + the Unnecessary

D Day is almost upon us– T minus 25 days assuming baby goes all the way to 40 weeks and I am not making that assumption! So I am trying to heed my husband’s good advice (and kick my bad habit of procrastinating) and am starting to pack my hospital bag. When I was in my final weeks of pregnancy with Olivia, Eric had been telling me for weeks to start packing my hospital bag and I kept putting it off. It wasn’t until the morning that my water broke that I was literally running around our apartment throwing random things into a bag.

I honestly don’t remember what I packed in that bag, but I do know that I had pretty much nothing useful to me. And I even wound up having my mom run out to the store and bring me a bunch of stuff to the hospital the next day. So who better to tell you what to pack in your hospital bag than someone who didn’t have anything that she needed?!

At least this time around I know exactly what to pack, so of course, I’m sharing it with you. These are the things you need, want, and what’s completely unnecessary.

NEED

1. A comfy, cozy robe. You are in a hospital constantly being checked and poked and prodded. Not only that but you just want to be as comfortable as possible at this point and a robe is a must. This is especially true if you’re planning on nursing so that you can easily get to the goods.

2. Nursing bras/tanks. If you don’t plan on breastfeeding then you obvi don’t need these, but if you do plan on it then definitely throw a couple in your bag.

3. Slippers. You are not going to want to put your shoes on every time you walk around on the floor/go to the bathroom, but you sure as heck don’t want to walk in bare feet or socks. I recommend an old pair of slippers that you can throw away when you leave the hospital.

4. Comfortable clothes/PJs. Again, you are going to want to be as comfortable as possible in the next couple days after labor, so pack the cozy stuff. And I don’t mean that super soft cashmere cardigan, because you don’t want to get that ruined. Hoodies, sweatpants, loose fitting pajamas, etc.

5. Towels. I wish I still had the photo I took of Eric after he took his first shower at the hospital. He came out of the bathroom wearing the hospital towel around his waist that looked more like a loin cloth than anything.

6. Miscellaneous things you can’t live without: Chapstick, hair ties, phone charger

WANT

1. Cute swaddles/bows/hats. The hospital will provide you with the standard hospital blanket and hat, but I already have this cute printed blanket and hat (for a boy) and bow (for a girl) packed in my bag. (Two of my fav places to shop for cute swaddles here and here)
2. Camera. Cell phone pics are great, but I plan on having my digital camera there so that we can take some really nice photos after birth and hopefully capture some great moments while we’re in the hospital. We have had this camera for a few years and love it; it’s super user friendly and perfect for beginners.
3. Hospital gown. My bestie bought me my own hospital gown when I gave birth to Olivia and while it may seem silly to some, it was such a cute and fun thing that all the nurses and doctors thought was adorable. It was nice to wear something that was brand new and not something that hundreds of other people had previously worn.
4. Adult diapers. Yep, you heard me. Some women swear by the mesh panties they give you at the hospital but I found them to be inadequate. Depends for the win!

UNNECESSARY

1. Diapers. The hospital will have diapers there for you so USE THEM. Not only that, but take whatever is still in your room before you leave.
2. Books. There will be no down time for reading. End of story. And on the off chance there is down time, you will want to use it to sleep!
3. Breast pump. Your milk probably won’t even come in until after you’ve left the hospital so leave that bad boy at home.
4. Pre-pregnancy clothes. Unless you are some weird freak of nature that bounced immediately back to a flat tummy 2 days after birth (in which case, keep that info to yourself because nobody wants to hear about it ;)) then do not plan on bringing your pre-maternity clothes because you will be sadly disappointed when they– SURPRISE!– still don’t fit yet.

Aaaaaaaand that’s it! Now that I’ve told YOU how to pack, I suppose I should go pack my own bag and start the countdown to delivery! Let me know what you wish you would have packed in your hospital bag!

XO,

L

Pin It!